


Divide and Conquer

by bayoublackjack



Series: Love in London [20]
Category: Elementary (TV), Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, F/M, Holmes Brothers, Multiple Crossovers, POV Joan Watson, Partner Swapping, Possibly Unrequited Love, Scotland Yard, Sherlock Holmes and Feelings, St. Bart's
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-04
Updated: 2014-12-04
Packaged: 2018-02-28 02:56:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2716325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bayoublackjack/pseuds/bayoublackjack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the Holmes brothers swap Watsons for a day, some surprising deductions are made that could change everything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Divide and Conquer

Joan woke early to the sound of her cell phone and a text from Sherlock telling her that she was needed urgently at St. Bart’s.  She briefly considered waking John, but a second text instructing her to come alone squashed those plans.

Crawling out of bed quietly, she dressed quickly and for comfort.  Nothing too fancy, just a pair of slacks and a cotton blouse under a thick jumper.  If he wanted a meeting at St. Bart’s, there was a great likelihood that a corpse would be involved and she’d prefer to spare certain articles of her wardrobe.

When she reached the hospital, Sherlock was there waiting for her outside, only it wasn’t the Sherlock she was accustomed to meeting.  “Sherlock,” she greeted the younger detective tersely.

“Joan.”

“You stole his phone, didn’t you?”

“It’s a game we play,” Sherlock said with an air of indifference.  “Are you surprised to see me?”

Joan shook her head.  “I knew it was you.  You’re texting style is different.”

Sherlock almost smiled.  “Impressive as always, Joan.  You continue to illustrate just why John is so taken with you.”

“I doubt you called me out here to sing my praises,” Joan told him.  “So why  _am_ I here?”

“You would be correct.”  This time he did smile.  “We have a case.”

Joan frowned at his answer.  “A case?  If that’s all it was then why did you tell me to leave John behind?”

“Because…”  Sherlock began walking towards the entrance and Joan moved to follow.  “My brother has  _other_ plans for John.”

 

~*~

 

John felt something moving against his leg.  For a second, he thought it could be Joan still next to him in bed, but when he looked down he saw a turtle inching across the duvet.  “Bloody hell!” he exclaimed and bolted upright.

“Good!  You’re up!”  The elder Sherlock stood next to the bed bouncing on the balls of his feet.

“Sherlock…”  John stared at him then down at the turtle.  “Did you put a  _turtle_ on me?” he asked incredulously.

“No.”  Sherlock collected the creature.  “Clyde is not a turtle.  He is a Russian  _tortoise_ .  Completely terrestrial.”

John scoffed.  “How silly of me to get that wrong,” he said sarcastically.

“I’m willing to let it slide.”

John nodded then paused.  “Wait.”  He held up a finger.  “Hang on.  Did  _Joan_ let you in?”

“No, I waited until she left and let myself in,” Sherlock answered.

“How?  We’ve had the locks changed.  So unless…”  John exhaled sharply.  “Did you pick the lock  _again_ ?”

“Of course not.  I made a promised to Watson when you returned that I wouldn’t break into your home.”

“So she gave you a key?”

“Gave.  Stole when she wasn’t looking and made a duplicate.”  Sherlock waved a dismissive hand.  “That particular detail isn’t important,” he insisted.  “What  _is_ important is that we’re going out.  I’ve laid your clothes out for you.”  He gestured to an outfit that lay on Joan’s side of the bed.  “I’ll be waiting downstairs.”

 

~*~

 

Joan followed Sherlock through the corridors of St. Bart’s.  They bypassed the usual route one would take to get to the laboratories.  “Are we headed where I think we’re headed?” she asked.

“Yes,” Sherlock replied.

“The morgue,” Joan continued as she walked along side of him.  “Isn’t that Molly’s domain?”

“Molly and I are not in communication at this time.”

Joan nodded.  “I figured as much.”  She glanced at him from the corner of her eye.  “You know you screwed up royally, right?”

Sherlock sighed dramatically.  “It has been brought to my attention, yes.”

“Well what are you gonna do about it?  How are you going to fix it?”

“At this present juncture, I have no plans to do anything,” Sherlock replied.

“So make a plan,” Joan insisted.

“I have more pressing matters that require my attention first.”

“Fine,” Joan conceded with a quiet huff.  “But it’s not going to go away on its own.  Sooner or later you’ll have to resolve the tension.”

 

~*~

 

“Too much tension,” Sherlock yelled to John.  “Relax the tension, Watson.”

John loosened his grip on the rope he was holding.  It was attached to a pulley system they were using to test a theory Sherlock had about a case.  “Better?” he said in a strained voice as he struggled with the weight of the other man who had strapped himself into the contraption.

“Substantially,” Sherlock answered as he dangled with his feet a full metre off the ground.  “I think we’re ready for the next phase of the experiment.”

“Next phase?” John questioned.

Sherlock motioned for him to bring him down gently and John kindly obliged.  “We’ve established the means and motive.  Now we need proof.  DI Lestrade can’t hold his suspect unless we find the pulleys used to commit the crime.”

John furrowed his brow.  “The entire flat was searched more than once.  If there was any evidence to be found, it would have been found already.”

“If the evidence was still  _in_ the building,” Sherlock reasoned as he freed himself from the harness and rigging.  “The suspect would have had his accomplice dispose of it in the least likely place to be searched for a second time.”

“The skip outside the building?”

“Precisely!  The evidence we need was tossed out with the other refuse once the initial search had been complete.  The suspect and his accomplice were of the mind that the police would have no need to check it again.”

John stared at him.  “You don’t mean…”

Sherlock smiled.  “Come along, Watson.  We’re going skipping.”

 

~*~

 

Joan removed her gloves and tossed them in the bin once they finished examining the corpse.  “I’m not sure why you needed me for this.  You could have just as easily done this on your own.”

Sherlock covered the body and wheeled it back into the cold chamber.  “It’s good to have a second pair of eyes in case I miss something.”

Joan scoffed softly.  “You can do better than that.”

“Talking aloud helps me think and I’ve grown accustomed to having someone answer.”

“So why box John out?”

Sherlock stood up straight and turned to her.  “I’m…making an effort,” he informed her.

Joan was slightly startled by the declaration.  “For John’s sake?”

“You’re important to him,” Sherlock replied, resuming his usual air of indifference.  “It’s in everyone’s best interest for us all to behave civilly.”

“So you and Sherlock decided to divide and conquer?” Joan deduced.

“John and my brother needed to be alone in order to sort through their… _issues_ .”

“Issues?”  Joan crossed her arms over her chest.  “What issues do Sherlock and John have?”

“Civility aside, my brother is of the mind that John is usurping his position in your life.”

Joan scoffed and rolled her eyes.  “John isn’t replacing him anymore than I’m replacing you.”

Sherlock furrowed his brow.  “Our situations are completely different.”

“Not  _that_ different,” Joan protested.

Sherlock stared at her curiously for a moment before speaking again.  “Different enough,” he said simply and turned to lead them out morgue.  “Fancy some chips?”

It was obvious to her that there was something he wasn’t saying, but Joan would worry about it another time.  Right now her thoughts were focused on John and her Sherlock. 

 

~*~

 

“And it was at that point that Watson and I located the key piece of evidence that would tie the two seemingly unrelated crimes together,” Sherlock declared.

Greg Lestrade sat at his desk listening.  His arms were crossing and his hand was raised in an attempt to subtly pinch his nose.  Meanwhile, Sally Donovan stood nearby not bothering to mask her disgust at the offensive odour.  And yet, somehow she still regarded this Sherlock much more warmly than John had ever seen with the other.  “Good work,” Greg said while trying to hold his breath.  “We can follow up later if you need to…”  He coughed and struggled not to inhale through his nose.  “Wash up.”

“Then Watson and I shall take our leave.”  Sherlock turned towards the door and John followed.

“Leave it open!” Greg quickly requested before going into another fit of gagging coughs.

Sherlock led the way to the lift but not before exchanging glances with Sally.  John turned to him once they were alone inside, the other occupants having quickly gotten off upon catching a whiff of their stench.  “Was that a thing just then?”

“Was what a thing?”

“Back there…between you and Sally Donovan.”

“If by  _thing_ you are inquiring as to whether DS Donovan and I have shared a liaison then yes.  There has been a  _thing_ in the past and while there is not currently a  _thing_ …evidence would indicate that she is open to resuming said  _thing_ .”

“Could you please stop saying the word thing like that?”

“Would you prefer that we just say sex?  Would that be more comfortable?  Copulation perhaps?  Fornication?”

John pinched the brow of his nose and immediately regretted it due to the smell.  “I seriously doubt there’s a comfortable way to have this conversation.”

“As a physician, I’d expect you not to be so skittish about the subject of sex.”

“Not skittish,” John countered quickly.  “Just…out of practice I suppose.  Sherlock and I usually don’t chat about these sorts of things.”

“Yes, William’s asexuality,” Sherlock commented.  “He’s not repulsed by it, as evident by his recent ill-fated tryst with Molly Hooper…”

John’s brow’s shot up.  “I’m sorry what?”

“But generally speaking he’s indifferent to the whole affair.”

“Did you just say that Sherlock and Molly had  _sex_ ?”

“You may in fact be surprised to learn that I too hold a similar view on the subject.  One need not have a target in mind to be able to fire a gun.”

“Sherlock…and Molly?”

“I use sex as a tool.  It has a positive effect on the body’s chemistry that aids in my detective work.  Not to mention it’s easier to acquire and lacks the detrimental effects of drug use,” Sherlock explained.  “Recreationally speaking, I have no use for such pursuits.   I find simulation in other ways.  Perhaps less so now that you and Watson have resumed your relationship.” He paused thoughtfully.  “I suppose it was inevitable really, but for the briefest of moments…things seemed to be as they once were.  Watson and I in the brownstone solving crimes.”

“Oh my God,” John said slowly after a long pause in conversation.  He stared at Sherlock with mouth agape.  “You love her, don’t you?”

Sherlock turned to him with a frown.  “Watson is my companion.  She is a close friend and an integral part of my process, both in terms of my detective work and my recovery.  It should go without saying that I hold her in the absolutely highest regard.”

“No.”  John shook his head.  “You  _love_ her.  You properly love her.  Like I love her.”

“Nonsense,” Sherlock dismissed him.  “No two people are capable of loving in the exact same way.  There are too many variables.”

“That’s it.  That’s the thing,” John said suddenly.

“Are we back to  _things_ now?”

“I always wondered what it was that kept you here,” John continued.  “After everything that’s happened, you’ve insisted that you were adamant about returning to New York, but you could never bring yourself to leave.  I knew it must have had something to do with your relationship with Joan.  I mean you’re her best mate and I know that if she ever lost you she’d be as gutted about it as I was when I thought Sherlock was dead, but there was something else.  There was  _always_ something else.  Something I could never put my finger on…until now.”

Sherlock remained silent the entire time John was speaking and when he finished he turned towards the opening lift doors, slipping out ahead of him.  “I think I’ll have chips for tea.”

“Chips?” John repeated incredulously as he moved to catch up with him.  “I asked you if you were in love with my wife and you’re thinking about  _chips_ .”

“I’m unsure of the reaction you were expecting,” Sherlock said indifferently. 

“Bollocks,” John retorted, moving to stand in Sherlock’s path.  “You are Sherlock Holmes, the  _second_ most impressive detective I’ve ever met.  If anyone could sort out the reaction I’m looking for it’d be you.  So I’ll ask you again.  Are you in love with my wife?”

“Are you awaiting a brazen declaration of affection?” Sherlock retorted.  “Are you anticipating that I’ll tell you that I  _desire_ her?  That I  _want_ her?  That I wish to make her mine?  Perhaps, dear Watson,  you were hoping to hear me say that she is the standard against which I compare all women that have come before her and all that shall come after because above all else she is… _The Woman_ …the only one that ever has and ever will matter.  Is that what you’re looking for?” he demanded, losing some of his stoicism in the process.  “Because I assure you that no such event shall ever occur.  My feelings towards Watson are just that.   _My_ feelings.  I need not divulge them to you, her or anyone else because they are mine and mine alone and shall remain that way.”

John let out a mirthless laugh while wearing an expression of disbelief.  “Actually…I think you’ve just told me everything that I needed to know.”


End file.
